Tech
Weapons Lasers Light lasers Extremely cheap to construct and operate. Very low damage output, but the fastest projectile speed. Similar to tachyon weapons, but cheaper and weaker. Pulse lasers Quite cheap to construct and operate. Very effective against weakly protected targets, bad against well protected targets or shields. Heat lasers Cheap to operate. Quite effective against shields and armor, but can be easily countered. Weapon tends to overheat. Energy lasers High damage output. Very effective against shields. Commonly used in the military. Needs a lot of energy to fire. Hard to counter Bomb-pumped lasers A large explosive (usually a nuke) is exploded and the it's energy in concentrated into a beam. High damage output and good range, but requires specialized ships. Kinetic weapons Cannons (+ autocannons, machineguns) Obsolete, but effective against unprotected targets. Extremely easy to construct and operate. Not affected by electromagnetic pulses. Easily countered. Railguns (+ coilguns) Very high damage output. Effective against armor and deals massive damage to anything it can pierce. Quite effective against shields due to the projectile's massive kinetic energy. Usually a slow rate of fire. Energy weapons Star cannon Exactly what the name implies. A small star is created in a chamber and is then fired using EM field generators as a plasma beam. Destroys nearly anything in its path. Plasma weapons Material is heated until it turns into plasma, and then it is fired at the target. Very effective against armor. Heavier elements deal more damage, but usually need more energy to turn into plasma. Nuclear weapons Single use only. They deal massive damage, depending on the size of the warhead. If exploded outside an atmosphere the bomb makes a large EMP. Compact and relatively easy to produce. Irradiates an area with deadly radiation, and can create large shockwaves. Usually considered inhumane. Missiles (+ rockets, torpedoes) Warheads (The thing that causes damage) EMP warhead Can disable an entire power grid, if it's strong enough. Deals almost no physical damage. Very effective against shields. Scarlet warhead Contains highly flammable material. Usually causes an explosion on impact. Fire usually can't be extinguished by water or lack of oxygen. Chemical warhead Delivers deadly neurotoxin to the ship, easily taking out the crew without causing any damage to the shit itself. Very useful for capturing ships when combined with EMPs. Missiles (The thing that delivers warheads) Piercing An etra shell is added to the missile's nose. When it breaks it allows the missile to penetrate some armor and explode inside the ship, causing a lot more damage. Smart missile The missile tries to avoid point defense and automatically targets the part of the ship where it can do the most damage. Requires either larger missile or smaller warhead, because it needs an on board navigation computer. Also extremely effective as AA defense. Cluster missile Large missile. Breaks apart to release swarms of smaller missiles. Very dangerous when combined with the "smart missile" and "scarlet missile" tech, since a single cluster missile can set entire cruisers on fire. Others Tachyon lance A beam of tachyons is fired, releasing massive amounts of energy when it comes to contact with matter. Ignores shield and penetrates armor, but loses energy doing so. Expensive to construct and operate. Shielding Drives Hyperdrives